Journal Articles by Field in Three Countries
The question
The bar chart below shows the number of journal articles published in four scientific fields by three countries in 2024. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Instructions
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
• Begin with an overview of the main trends or differences.
• Identify which country leads in each field and where the picture is less clear.
• Use the figures and units shown on the chart where they help.
• Do not give your own opinions or speculate about causes.
How to approach this bar chart question
A bar chart compares categories or shows change between points in time. Write an overview of the biggest differences, then compare the highest, lowest and any surprise.
- Name the chart, the units and the time or places it covers in one sentence (paraphrase the question).
- Write an overview: the largest and smallest categories, or the main change over time.
- Group the bars into two body paragraphs by similarity, not one by one.
- Quote the key numbers only, with units, and compare them.
How to plan this answer
Structure
- Introduction: paraphrase the bar chart, which shows the number of journal articles published in four scientific fields by three countries in 2024.
- Overview: no single country leads in every field, Country B publishes the most articles overall, and the picture is closest in physics and chemistry.
- Body paragraph 1: medicine and computer science, where Country A leads medicine (48 thousand) and Country B leads computer science (52 thousand).
- Body paragraph 2: physics and chemistry, where Country B narrowly leads physics and Country C leads chemistry, with the smaller margins noted.
Key features to spot
- Country B leads in computer science with 52 thousand articles, 19 thousand more than Country A and 38 thousand more than Country C.
- Country A leads medicine with 48 thousand articles, more than double Country C's 22 thousand.
- In physics Country B leads with 27 thousand, narrowly ahead of Country A (21) and Country C (19).
- Country C leads chemistry with 25 thousand, ahead of Country A (18) and Country B (15).
- Summed across the four fields, Country B publishes around 130 thousand articles, Country A around 120 thousand and Country C around 80 thousand.
Useful vocabulary
- thousand articles: Country B published 52 thousand articles in computer science.
- led the way: Country B led the way in computer science.
- the highest number of: Country A had the highest number of medicine articles.
- narrowly ahead of: Country B was narrowly ahead of Country A in physics.
- well ahead of: Country B was well ahead of Country C in computer science.
- by a considerable margin: Country B led computer science by a considerable margin.
- more than double: Country A's medicine output is more than double that of Country C.
- the picture is less clear: In physics, the picture is less clear, as the gaps are small.
Common mistakes
- Presenting the figures as raw article counts, when they are in thousands; 36 means 36,000.
- Saying Country B leads in medicine, when Country A leads with 48 thousand against 36 thousand.
- Ignoring the close result in physics, where the three countries are within eight thousand of each other.
- Presenting the overall totals as if they were figures from the chart rather than sums that you have calculated.
- Adding reasons for the research output, such as funding levels, which the prompt rules out.
Examiner tip: Check each field separately for the leader and the margin. An overview that names the overall pattern, plus the close results, will show your understanding of the chart.
Model answers by band score
Written for this question to show what changes from one band to the next. Try the task yourself first, then compare.
Band 6 answer
The bar chart show the number of journal articles which were published by three countries in four scientific fields in 2024.
Overall, Country A publish the most articles in medicine, and Country B is the strongest in computer science. Country C is lower than the other countries in most of the fields.
In medicine, Country A had 48 thousand articles, which was much more than Country B with 36 thousand and Country C with 22 thousand. In physics the numbers were more similar, with Country B at 27 thousand, Country A at 21 thousand and Country C at 19 thousand.
Looking at computer science, Country B was the highest with 52 thousand articles. Country A had 33 thousand and Country C had only 14 thousand, which is the lowest figure in the whole chart. For chemistry, Country C was the top country with 25 thousand, while Country A had 18 thousand and Country B had 15 thousand. In total, Country B published the most articles in these fields.
Why this is band 6
- Relevant overview naming a leader in medicine and computer science, but it is incomplete: it does not mention that Country B also leads physics or that Country C leads chemistry.
- Language is limited and repetitive ('had ... thousand articles' many times) and contains errors such as 'The bar chart show' and 'Country A publish'.
- The final sentence ('every country was the leader in at least one field, except Country A in the last two') is confused and imprecise, which weakens accuracy.
- Band 7 would give a complete overview of who leads each field, group the data more clearly and use a wider range of comparison structures with fewer errors.
Band 7 answer
The bar chart compares the number of journal articles, in thousands, that three countries published in medicine, physics, computer science and chemistry in 2024.
Overall, each country leads in a different area: Country A in medicine, Country B in physics and computer science, and Country C in chemistry. Physics is the field where the three countries are closest.
Country A produced 48 thousand medical articles, well ahead of Country B (36 thousand) and Country C (22 thousand). Country B, however, dominated computer science with 52 thousand articles, compared with 33 thousand for Country A and only 14 thousand for Country C, the lowest figure in the chart.
The picture is less clear in the other two fields. In physics, Country B led narrowly with 27 thousand, followed by Country A on 21 thousand and Country C on 19 thousand. In chemistry, Country C came first with 25 thousand articles, while Country A published 18 thousand and Country B just 15 thousand. Country B's lead in computer science therefore contrasts with its weakest showing in chemistry.
Why this is band 7
- Clear overview that states the leader in every field and singles out physics as the closest contest, which answers the task bullet directly.
- Well organised: one paragraph for the two fields with clear leaders, another for the less clear fields, with 'however' and 'therefore' used sensibly.
- Good range of comparison language ('well ahead of', 'narrowly', 'compared with') and only minor slips in precision.
- Band 8 would select and compare the data more economically (for example giving totals or ratios) and use more flexible, natural phrasing throughout.
Band 8 answer
The bar chart shows how many journal articles, in thousands, three countries published in four scientific fields in 2024.
Overall, no single country dominates: Country A leads in medicine, Country B in physics and computer science, and Country C in chemistry. Physics is the most evenly contested field, whereas computer science shows the widest gap.
Medicine is clearly Country A's strongest area, at 48 thousand articles, a third more than Country B's 36 thousand and more than double Country C's 22 thousand. Country B's output is most striking in computer science, where its 52 thousand articles exceeded Country A's 33 thousand by a wide margin and were almost four times the 14 thousand recorded by Country C.
By contrast, the remaining fields show smaller differences. Physics output ranged only from 19 thousand (Country C) to 27 thousand (Country B), with Country A in between on 21 thousand. In chemistry, Country C was ahead with 25 thousand, while Countries A and B trailed on 18 thousand and 15 thousand respectively. Country C is therefore the only country whose best field is not one in which it publishes at least 30 thousand articles.
Why this is band 8
- Precise overview that identifies each leader and also contrasts the most even field (physics) with the most unequal one (computer science).
- Detail is well selected and expressed with calculated comparisons ('a third more', 'more than double', 'almost four times'), all consistent with the figures.
- Cohesion is natural ('By contrast', 'respectively', 'therefore'), and grammar is accurate with only rare stylistic weaknesses.
- Band 9 would make the final insight tighter and fully natural; the last sentence is a little awkward and adds a point of limited value.
Band 9 answer
The bar chart compares the number of journal articles, in thousands, published by three countries in four scientific fields in 2024.
Overall, leadership is divided: Country A is ahead in medicine, Country B in physics and computer science, and Country C in chemistry. Computer science shows by far the widest spread between countries, whereas physics is the most closely contested field.
Country A's strength lies in medicine, where its 48 thousand articles exceed Country B's 36 thousand by a third and are more than double Country C's 22 thousand. Country B's advantage is greater still in computer science: its 52 thousand articles outstrip Country A's 33 thousand and are nearly four times the 14 thousand published by Country C, the lowest figure on the chart.
The other two fields are tighter. Physics figures cluster between 19 thousand (Country C) and 27 thousand (Country B), with Country A on 21 thousand. In chemistry, Country C's 25 thousand edges ahead of Country A's 18 thousand and Country B's 15 thousand, making it the one field in which Country C comes first. Totalled across the four fields, Country B publishes 130 thousand articles, Country A 120 thousand and Country C 80 thousand.
Why this is band 9
- Overview captures both the division of leadership and the contrast between the widest and narrowest fields, with no data errors.
- Every figure is accurate and selected for a purpose; the totals (130, 120 and 80 thousand) give a genuine summary that the other answers lack.
- Language is fully natural and varied ('outstrip', 'edges ahead of', 'cluster between') with no errors, and the cohesion never feels mechanical.
- Paragraphing follows the logic of the data: clear-cut fields first, closer fields second, then a closing summary.
Band levels are our estimate against the public IELTS criteria; they are not official scores.
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